


sucker punch

by wae



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Language, House Party, Humor, M/M, Minor Violence, Slow Burn, Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-10-11 20:40:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20552369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wae/pseuds/wae
Summary: "How did you two go fromI hate his gutstoI would beat up a guy for him?"





	1. the gyopo's homecoming

The world of college is a ruthless and unpredictable one. 

Changkyun learns this as a fact when he returns to Korea after years of spending his adolescence studying abroad, flying from one country to another, always the odd one out. Now, nineteen years old and feeling hopelessly lost and alone, he ventures by himself to the university dorm to settle into his new home for the next four years. 

It hasn't even been an hour yet since he's stepped into campus property, and already, someone has bumped into him, knocking his luggage over and almost toppling him to the ground. 

"What the hell, kid?" 

A gruff voice sounds from above as Changkyun crouches to retrieve his fallen carry-on. The owner of the voice is as unfriendly as he sounds, with a mean stare in his narrow eyes. The guy standing next to him doesn't look any better, just his existence in itself is intimidating, and Changkyun knows well that he shouldn't aggravate them. No one wants the shit beat out of them on their first day in uni. 

Unfortunately for him, the one who bumped into him has the audacity to even curse him out. "Watch where you're fucking going next time, yeah? These fucking freshmen, I swear. It pisses me off just watching you lot wander around like you own the place." 

Changkyun flinches at the onslaught of verbal abuse rained down on him. He's often been told that he's got a bad look in his eyes, that he should try smiling more. His indifferent face always gets him into trouble, but he thinks even this is a little bit uncalled for. 

He misses his parents already. Why didn't he just stay with them back in Boston? Maybe it was a bad idea for him to be so stubborn and insist on coming back to his homeland under the pretense of experiencing _ real life._ Whatever that meant. 

"Sorry," he stood up to bow his head, muttering a quick apology to the two. 

It goes unacknowledged by the asshole, who merely clicks his tongue and turns to his friend. 

"C'mon, Gunhee." 

This Gunhee person snickers at him, but other than that, they both pass by without so much as another glance at Changkyun and _ fuck _if that's the best thing that has happened all day to him. 

Finally free of all potential danger, (for now, at least) Changkyun heads on to his original destination, marching forward with a newfound tenacity. 

The door to room 126 stands before him, marking the real start of his journey. 

He takes a deep breath. 

_ Four years, Im Changkyun. Just put up with it, and four years will go by in no time. _

_ A bad beginning doesn't always make a bad ending._

⬖

Korea is not how Changkyun remembers it to be. The first few days are scary and unfamiliar, mostly due to the fact that he wasn't born and raised in the big city of Seoul. The crowds are never-ending, and far more diverse than he expected. He ends up getting lost on main streets and back-alleys, his Korean sounds strange and accented even to his own ears when he asks for directions or orders coffee in the nearby Starbucks. Despite how much the country has changed, it still upholds its values of conservatism, making it hard to adjust so suddenly when his mind and body were already used to another land's code of conduct.

He felt like a toddler that had just learned how to walk being thrown into a cage and forced to crawl. It felt like he was aging in reverse, learning again for the first time. 

So, Changkyun does what he is best at. The only way of coping when there is nothing else left.

Solitude.

Although, he's not alone, no matter how hard he tries. Lee Minhyuk, his roommate, constantly reminds him of that fact, and now is no exception.

It's hard not to overhear the conversation he's having on his phone, blabbing to one of his friends about Changkyun's presence.

"Hm? Yeah, my roommate just moved in yesterday." Minhyuk says, crunches in between a mouthful of cereal. "He's two years younger than you and just moved back from abroad."

Not only is Lee Minhyuk loud, but he also gets easily attached to people. From the moment he opened that damn door, his new roommate had immediately ambushed him with a barrage of questions; how old are you? Where are you from? Did you already have lunch? Has anyone ever told you that you've got a nice butt?

Needless to say, Changkyun is culture-shocked.

"He's really cute," he hears Minhyuk chuckles. "I think the two of you would get along well, Jooheon-ah."

The name makes something stir inside Changkyun, whatever it is, he doesn't know, but the feeling is unpleasant and leaves him with a bad taste. It shouldn't be anything, after all, he often gets worried for nothing, so he distracts himself by plugging in his earphones, music on full volume, shutting himself off from the world.


	2. an eye for an eye

The wind whips past Changkyun’s face as he sprints across the quadrangle to the campus’ gate. He’s promised Minhyuk to meet up for lunch, but the freshman seminar ended up being prolonged due to the speaker preaching them on classroom etiquette and why cellular phones are prohibited during lectures. It’s only been a few days, but Minhyuk has already wormed his way into Changkyun’s comfort zone. Personal space doesn’t exist in his vocabulary, and Changkyun’s just taken to accept him as he is; Minhyuk’s stubborn and unrelenting, so he might as well go along with it.

“Changkyun-ah,” Minhyuk complains, “I’ve been here for 20 minutes and the employees are already giving me nasty looks because I haven’t ordered anything yet…”

This damned school, it’s like an obstacle course. Changkyun zips past a group of students gathered in the center of the quad, jumps over a pile of books on the grass, talking to Minhyuk on his phone all the while. “I know I’m late, I’m sorry—” 

Multitasking means he’s only half paying attention, as a result, Changkyun doesn’t see the daredevil pedaling alongside him. At the last second, Changkyun dodges and narrowly misses being hit by the guy’s BMX bicycle. “Hey, watch it!” he yelps.

On the other line, Minhyuk panics at his sudden outburst. “Hello? Changkyun-ah, you okay?”

“That fucking— Some guy almost ran me over with his bike!” Changkyun fumes, hobbling over to the campus’ exit. Finally. He’s still a little shaken up, though.

It’s Minhyuk’s turn to get mad, his shrieks causing the static to crackle. “What?! Did you see his face? If you did, I’ll teach him a lesson next time I see him around—”

Changkyun cuts him off before he becomes even more livid. An outraged Minhyuk is bound to be a lot to handle. “No, I just— he had this stupid-looking red hair, that’s all I saw.”

The line goes silent for a while, then Minhyuk’s muttering, “It couldn’t be him, right?”

It’s unlike him to be absorbed in thought all of a sudden, so much that Changkyun grows curious enough to ask. “What is it, hyung?”

“Nah, nevermind, probably someone else,” Minhyuk mutters, and then he bounces back to his lively demeanor in as quick as a flash. “Anyway, hurry up here so we can eat!” 

Only when he reaches the ramen shop they’re meeting at and is pulled into a hug by Minhyuk does Changkyun realize the cause of earlier’s uncertainty. Red hair. Someone Minhyuk knows. The guy who bumped into him on his first day. 

_ Huh. _

Pieces of the puzzle come together, but Changkyun chalks it up to a mere coincidence. He’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it. In the meantime, he needs to solve his hankering for some good food.

⬖

Changkyun forgets about the minor accident for a good while, spending the rest of his days going out to see the city with Minhyuk and familiarizing himself with the area. They’re taking a break on exploring the neighborhood near the university, having seen most of the landmarks and eateries it has to offer.

Minhyuk yawns as he stretches his long limbs out on the bench they’re sitting on. It’s a sunny afternoon and the ache of two hours worth of walking is beginning to settle in their bones. “This weather’s perfect for a nice cup of iced coffee,” he sighs.

“I’ll go and buy some for us,” Changkyun offers, poking Minhyuk’s cheek when he sleepily rests his head on Changkyun’s shoulder.

He perks up right then, like an overgrown puppy being promised a treat. “Really? Use my card then, I’ll pay.”

“Okay, hyung,” Changkyun laughs. “Vanilla latte for you, as usual, right?”

“You got it,” Minhyuk shoots a cheesy wink at him before he’s off to a cafe down the block.

It’s only a short distance away, and Changkyun orders with ease and grabs their drinks within five minutes. Everything is going frighteningly well, until he bends a corner to the main street. Today was supposed to be fine and dandy, but it ends up as a dramatic farce come to life.

“Crap.”

This is not happening. The moment Changkyun looks up is when things click into place, one; the very obvious coffee stain drenching a gray peacoat, two; the now empty cup in his left hand, and three; a face that he won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

“You’re that kid,” the guy snarls, his recognition of Changkyun’s existence setting in before he acknowledges the Venti-sized latte that has soaked his clothes through.

“I—” Changkyun takes a step back, his skin feeling like it’s pricked with pins and needles. It’s him. It’s him again and Changkyun is so fucking screwed right now, he can’t run from this, god, why does it always have to be him? His voice is barely a whisper when he says, “I’m sorry.”

Slit-like eyes pierce through him, take him apart, fueling Changkyun to prattle on without much composure. “I really am sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’ll pay for the dry-cleaning fee and everything, so…” 

“Look, I don’t have time for this,” the guy is more exhausted than angry when he answers, shrugging his coat off in an apathetic manner, “just forget it, alright?”

Changkyun opens his mouth to speak, but he’s already striding away, soles of his sneakers scraping against the pavement, the harsh sound getting further and further until he’s gone.

Changkyun brings the bad news to Minhyuk later, his steps seem much heavier than it had been before. 

“That took a while,” Minhyuk questions, noticing the restless way Changkyun carries himself.

Changkyun furrows his eyebrows. “Uh, well, I accidentally spilled your coffee on a dude so I got you a new one.”

“Seriously?” Minhyuk fusses over him, checking for any blotches of caffeine on Changkyun’s clothes. “Are you okay, though?”

“Yeah, but, uh, remember that person who almost hit me with his bike?” 

Minhyuk nods, sipping at his latte.

“They had similar hair, the color and style and all.” Changkyun omits the fact that he had a rough encounter on his first day back in Korea, and that this guy was the same one who caused him stress over the past few days. It’s like he’s reverting to his fear of primary school bullies, those who used to start shit with him for absolutely no reason at all.

“Looks like you have some bad luck with redheads,” Minhyuk’s grinning at him now and it only grows wider when Changkyun rolls his eyes. At least it lifts his mood a little bit, he can’t help but melt his frustrations away in Minhyuk’s presence.

“Tell me about it.”

Minhyuk pouts at his reaction. “Now I’m worrying whether or not you’ll get along with this friend of mine.”

Changkyun shrugs. First impressions don’t usually go smoothly for him. Nine times out of ten, he’s too caught up in formulating acceptable social remarks in his head, but Changkyun turns tongue-tied when it all boils down to it.

A light bulb turns on in his brain all of a sudden, he slaps Changkyun’s arm and turns to face him excitedly. “Wouldn’t it be funny if those three ended up being just one person all along?”

“No!” Changkyun screams in horror. Minhyuk giggles in his despair. That would be the worst outcome of this, and going by the sense of unease in the pit of Changkyun’s stomach, the likelihood of it happening seems to be a hundred to one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> life's been quite hectic and i haven't had the drive to write lately, but i pushed myself to get this chapter out since mx just released someone's someone and i got a lil bit inspired. ch 3 will be coming most likely tomorrow, though


	3. shut down the party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a quick lil update, as chapter 4 won't be published for at least another week or so. in the meantime, enjoy! thanks to everyone who gave this work a chance.

Prior to enrolling in Ujuseon College for the Arts, Changkyun had done a bit of research. 'Research' meaning he read blog posts of a former graduate and lurked around the anonymous forum run by students for students. The school seemed to have a mixed reputation; on one hand, it's full of notable and successful alumni, and on the other, it was full of iljins who partied on the regular.

The latter theory was proving itself to be true, though.

"It's kind of a tradition," Minhyuk explains. It’s two days before the semester officially starts, and they’re sitting on the couch with the TV playing an American sitcom on max volume. Minhyuk had put it on to alleviate some of Changkyun’s homesickness, but watching _Friends_ just makes him want to cry from nostalgia. “You could treat it like a sort of a welcoming ceremony, only that it’s more fun, plus there’s booze. Lots of it.”

Changkyun wants to argue that alcoholism before the first day of classes shouldn't be treated as a standard procedure, but instead, he keeps his mouth shut and nods.

"Sounds fun, I'm in."

The next night, there he is, much to his own disbelief, standing outside the doorway of a flat full of a hundred-something people, with Minhyuk right beside him cradling a six-pack of Cass Red.

“Are you nervous?” Minhyuk grins at him as he jabs the doorbell repeatedly, paying no heed to the voice yelling at him to  _ shut the fuck up, I got it! _ over the EDM blaring on the speakers.

“Nah,” Changkyun nonchalantly says.  _ Lies. _ His heart is beating so rapidly in his chest and he pockets his sweaty palms in order to look cool and collected. He wonders what all kinds of people are in there because his roommate’s pretty much the only one he’s regularly interacted with this whole time.

After waiting with bated breath, the door is opened by a foreign-looking guy who looks quite troubled. Upon further inspection, there appears to be some puke staining his otherwise black shirt. “Come on in,” he greets, trying to be as welcoming as possible, “Jackson’s thrown up everywhere so, uh, watch your step, alright?”

“Thanks for the heads up, Mark,” Minhyuk cackles, not minding the vomit on his friend when he goes in for a hug. He pulls Changkyun in front of him afterward, introducing him. “This is my friend Changkyun, by the way. He’s a first-year so be nice to him!”

Mark nods sagely, clapping Changkyun on the back and taking the six-pack of beer off his tired hands. “I get it, kids these days are young and impressionable, right?”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Changkyun bows politely. He feels awkward as fuck in this new environment, but he’ll just have to man up and go with the flow.

“Nice to meet you, man. Sorry about the mess, you know how it is sometimes.” Mark leads them inside the apartment, it’s cramped and just as sloppy as he described, bottles and cups placed here and there and various articles of clothing and food scattered on the floor. They have to push through a bunch of young people dancing and congregating in the living room before they get to a less-crowded area.

As soon as they get to the kitchen, a loud crash resounds from somewhere and Mark hurriedly makes way in the direction where it came from. “Shit,” he curses. “That had better not be one of my mom’s antique vases.”

“See you around!” Minhyuk calls after him while Mark sends back a half-hearted thumbs up. He turns to Changkyun who’s scanning the place with bated interest. He figures what he needs is a few drops of liquid courage to get this party going. 

“Let’s get some drinks in you first.”

Changkyun couldn’t agree more.

  
  


⬖

  
  
  


One cup of spiked soda is all he had to drink so far. Changkyun’s been carrying around the same red solo cup for the night, he doesn’t have the chance to finish it because of the absurd amount of talking he’s had to do. If we’re counting, he’s met about fifteen of Minhyuk’s acquaintances, all decidedly very chatty for his taste but are easy to get along with in spite of that. Halfway through the conversation with a guy called Bambam, he loses Minhyuk, not spotting him until half an hour later. Thank god. He hasn’t talked this much since the last time he tried to convince his older brother about the possibility of extraterrestrial life being real.

"There you are, Changkyun-ah!" A frazzled Minhyuk pulls him over, he looks like a walking disaster, sweaty and hair matted to his forehead. Changkyun thinks he spots a bit of barf on his T-shirt as well. Definitely a telltale sign of a drunk caretaker.

"Hyung," Changkyun raises his eyebrows at the sight of him, "Is everything fine?"

"Actually… I have a tiny favor to ask of you."

“Shoot,” Changkyun says, finally downing his drink in one go. Whatever this favor could be, it's not going to be enjoyable, that's for sure. He's guessing he needs the extra dose of alcohol in his system.

Minhyuk lets out a big sigh of relief, as if Changkyun was the light at the end of his drunken tunnel. "Could you talk to Jooheonie for me? One of our friends had a little too much to drink and keeps calling for him. I can't leave the poor guy alone, so please pass the message on for me. He's right there by the veranda, the one in the cap."

He ends up nodding a little too eagerly, wanting to be useful, but he realizes that he has no fucking clue who all these people are.

_ "Jooheonie?!"  _ Changkyun gawks at Minhyuk's retreating figure. 

"Lee Jooheon!" He yells back at Changkyun, waving before swiftly disappearing into one of the many rooms in the house. 

Changkyun should’ve followed his intuition to stay low-key and under the radar, because surprise, surprise, Lee Jooheon is exactly who he thinks it is, with an entourage of two well-built guys, both staring at him curiously. The two of them would have no problems whooping Changkyun's ass, but he doesn't sense the same hostility from them, unlike a certain someone here.

"You—" Jooheon's eyes widen in remembrance, but Changkyun quickly interrupts him before the other has a chance to possibly sock him in the face. If Jooheon starts pulling punches at him now, then surely his buff buddies would jump in on the fun, too.

"Um, Minhyuk-hyung sent me. Said your friend was wasted and calling for you." Changkyun tries to sound as casual as possible, pocketing his hands and assuming what he thinks is a confident stance even though he’s practically jumping out of his skin. The best way to go about this is probably to pretend that they haven’t had a few altercations and mishaps with each other.

"Goddammit," Jooheon mutters under his breath, "who let Jackson near the booze again..?"

It works. He angrily stalks off into the house and Changkyun is left unscathed with the two jocks, who exchange looks with each other when he sighs a little too deeply. The one with bleached hair steps forward and approaches him.

"Jooheonie's acquaintance?" 

Changkyun laughs nervously. Here's to hoping they won't figure out the bad blood going on between him and their friend."Not exactly."

"Oh." He shares another look with his friend, who merely shrugged in return. He seems like the stoic type, but nice nonetheless. "Well, you were with Minhyuk, right? Consider yourself one of us now." 

Changkyun blinks. Do people normally welcome strangers into their established social circles or is it just this guy? He may never know, but it looks like he's now part of something whether he likes it or not.

"I'm Hoseok, Lee Hoseok," he grins, patting Changkyun on the back.  _ Man, this guy must have hands of steel. Charming smile, though. _

"Son Hyunwoo," the other nods at him good-naturedly. This one also has a smile that betrays his first impression, he almost looks like a cartoon teddy bear with the way his eyes scrunch up adorably. 

"Wanna do some shots?" he asks, still wearing the same expression.

_ Teddy bear, my ass. He's a straight-up grizzly. _ Changkyun is unable to hold his laughter in. Hoseok and Hyunwoo make for an interesting pair, and they’re so amiable to the point that he wonders how in the hell they’re friends with the likes of Lee Jooheon. Though, he’ll have to figure that out later. What this moment calls for right now is a fuckton of alcohol.

"My name's Im Changkyun. And god, yes, please."

  
  


⬖

  
  


Several shots of multicolored drinks later, Changkyun is now considerably buzzed and uncoordinated enough for Hoseok and Hyunwoo to completely destroy him at beer pong. He throws a hissy fit from losing, then proceeds to leave them to play against themselves. In an attempt to rest his wasted self on one of the beanbags scattered all over the living room, Changkyun trips and falls face-first onto the lap of some attractive stranger.

“Woah, kid,” Handsome says. “How much have you had to drink?”

Changkyun fumbles around on his hands and knees, attempting to sit up, but Handsome laughs even more at him and he notices how even more drop-dead gorgeous he is up close. That, and, well— He also notices the short, angry guy sitting next to him

“Seriously? After Jooheon practically trampled me a while ago, we get another shitfaced kid in here?”

At the mention of the name that he’s heard what seems like a thousand times already, Changkyun snaps up and turns his attention to the pink-haired little ball of rage. “Did you just..?

Shortie frowns at him, clearly not pleased by his drunken antics. “Did I what, kid.”

“You called him,” Changkyun shoots back, widening his eyes for dramatic effect, “ _He Who Must Not Be Named.” _

There it is. He let the Potterhead in him slip out. Handsome doubles over in laughter while Shortie is still unamused.

“He’s not fucking  _ Voldemort _ , he’s just—”

“A friend of ours,” Handsome finishes for him.

Shortie snorts, repositioning himself on the beanbag so that he’s not perpendicular to the floor. “If by ‘friend’ you mean he annoys me on a daily basis, then, sure, we’re friends.”

Changkyun groans. “Why is everyone I meet in this party acquainted with that guy?”

It’s like fate is treating his life as a cruel joke, determined to throw him into a pit of lions and leave him there without any means to escape. He grabs the beer can left unattended by his feet, taking a long swig from it. Handsome seems to be enjoying his misfortune, though, because he elbows Shortie on the ribs and asks, “Can we keep him?”

“He looks interesting enough. I kinda wanna know what his deal with Jooheon is, too,” Shortie shrugs, a gleam in his eye that wasn’t there before. “I’m Yoo Kihyun, by the way.”

“Chae Hyungwon,” Handsome nods at him. Changkyun briefly ponders how a human being this perfect could even be associated with the likes of gangsters and possible felons.

“Im Changkyun,” he sways, beer sloshing around in his attempt to do a cheers. “Just call me  _ #1 Lee Jooheon Hater _ from now on.”

  
"Gotcha. Welcome to the club," Hyungwon says, clinking his red solo cup against Changkyun’s drink in a toast to a beautiful(?) friendship. By default, this also makes him friends with  _You-Know-Who, _ but that’s a problem he’ll leave for later.

**Author's Note:**

> if you read it up to here, thank you very much!! i've been writing for several years but this is my first published fic. expect a lot more to come, i promise it's gonna be fun. comments and kudos fill my heart and motivate me to keep going! (ง •̀_•́)ง


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